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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Bites: IS Donburi

In William St. Arcade Northbridge, a change has swept the place making it home to the likes of Love Ty Neighbor, Superstar Waffles, and now, IS Donburi.  All of which has promising names and a superb feel of culture of them.  My previous visits to Superstar Waffles have made me mostly happy although, inconsistency are starting to be appear more obvious with the poor handling of crowds.  Its inability to cater for a wider demographics such as a gluten free society also reduces its marks.  So how does the new IS Donburi do when it comes to food?  Earlier this week, the boys and I had lunch there where we ordered:

IMG_1394Chicken Katsu Don (Spicy) @ $12.50 was bliss with a decent serve of deep fried good night set on an omellete egg cooked with onions and soy.  It was faultless and felt like a decent home-cooked meal but just extremely crunchy on all corners.  The spiciness for me was just spot on.  Its not like you get a spicy battered chicken but the chefs at ID just managed to squeeze in the heat unnoticeably.

 

IMG_1395Fish Teriyaki Donburi @ $12.50 was Andrews choice.  These deep fried goodness coated with Teriyaki Sauce was a pleaser as Andrew felt no fault with it.  The fish came in three types which were the salmon, king fish and basa.  For me, that is a brilliant spread of protein despite being all fish.  Its healthier for sure.  Andrew found it delicious, but for me, a little on the sweet side.

 

IMG_1396Kimchee Udon @ $12.50 was Win’s choice but a tragic event it was.  This was by far the worst I have seen.  To sum this pot, it’s a $12.50 bowl of carbs with Kimchee and a few slices of crab sticks which were incorrectly called fishcakes on the menu.  For me, there had to be a better deal than this.  Maybe more meat, a thicker broth or even some pork belly which would make it more Kimchee Chigae-ish?  All of which on a Monday afternoon did not really please my buddy Win.  I would not be very pleased either.

 

Other than what we ordered, I called a sushi to share with the guys for $3 bucks! That was a steal.  Rarely do we find $3 rolls anywhere.  But when spicy pork roll is filled with Korean style spicy pork, my mind was on a rewind back to when I first walked in.  The chef, the waitresses.  Hey its all Korean?  Ok not sure whether was it just me or what.  But that in no way matters as anyone can cook any food.  That has always been my belief and I standby it.

 

So, in the end really it was all about IS Donburi and for a lunch place, I find the price – quality balance plausible.  But for me, my tummy was not on an overdrive of hunger.  If I had came here for dinner, I could easily rake up $30+ on my bill, and I would definitely think twice.  Places like IS Donburi falls into my category of dilemma where a middle quality restaurant charges me for middle quality food.  For little more than $40 comes the set menu at Bonsai and other places like Halu, Satsuki, Izakaya Sakura will only need $50+.   Cheaper yet extremely bitchy place like Kanta  @Langford charges $20-30 for an awesome meal.

 

This sort of things makes places like IS Donburi extremely unattractive.  For me, it has certainly priced itself out of the market.  I would go to Tan PoPo or Taka for one cheap meal and a damn good one elsewhere like Bonsai, Ha-Lu, Satsuki and what not.   This really to me feels like a no brainer.  Such concept also extends to my steak meals where there is no way I would pay for two $40 dollar meal at Hog’s Breath anymore.   Instead a home cooked steak and a meal at Rockpool.  Sorry IS Donburi.  You are only lunch material.

 

WenY

Is Donburi William Street on Urbanspoon

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Bites: Thailicious @ Northbridge

Thailicious is one of the newer restaurants in town which really benefits the coupon selling industry.   Without new experimental places like these, people like me tend to get caught up in our comfort zone by going to restaurant we always go to.   Placed along the bustling strip of James Street, Thailicious sits next to Oliver’s, a place which I had high regards for.  Arriving on time, I was promptly seated by the waitress and was politely informed of the limitations for the coupon I had which she did again when my dining companions arrived.  Admittedly, I have always had a soft spot for the service provided at Thai restaurants as they are  often more polite than most. 

 

For appetizers, we started with tiny morsels of decadent Thai chicken balls.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABefore you readers get at me for calling simple chicken balls moreish, how many times have chicken balls served to you come out tasting like pre-made ones of out the bags?  For me, one too many times.  These here were the subject of some TLC before being crumbled and fried.  Though dressing and salad felt all too cliché, I was sold as the balls packed good flavor.  But 6 balls for $19.50 is a hard buy.  Top Nepalese restaurants sell 10 momos for $15 and that was simply sublime when I had it here @ the Himalayan Restaurant Victoria Park.

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe next appetizer were the fish cakes tasted TYPICAL.  It had all the qualities of a Thai fish cake in terms of flavors but what it lacked for me perhaps is that just cooked till right consistency which was a little bounce and an easy to bite apart feel.  These felt a little overcooked making them tough.

 

After our appetizers, it did not take long for our mains to be served.  This I guess were one of the benefits of eating out on a weekday!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe chicken fried rice was served very artistically shaped like hmmmmmm a flan? Ok bad description but lets move on.  It tasted alright but felt a little sweet.  Each bit of rice was perfectly cooked mainly whole although crush at some places.  And here comes my biggest complain.  I hate those god damn frozen vegetables which I term “3 color poison”!.  These are just a pain to see and eat.  My travels in Bangkok never once was I served such pesky vegetables but they are all over in Australia.  Is it really that hard for some leafy greens to make their way onto the table?  SAD! :(!

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe Panang Pork curry was one of the highlights that night.  It was simply sublime when served hot.  When my friend’s mom made this for us earlier this year,  I was blown away.  I am used to the runny curry just oozing with flavor but when served dry, it actually alleviates the taste of the curry.  At Thailicious it falls somewhere in between and was to me, still delicious.

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe duck curry to me is still my very first experience at Thai curry when I first flew to Bangkok nearly 13 years ago.  And even today, it still is a dish I hope to relive its glory.  For me, the only curry which has a good balance of fruitiness, spice and textures are the ones served at Ying Thai 2 in Melbourne.  My past experiences in Perth has never left me satisfied.  Unfortunately, Thailicious falls into that category as well.  For me, it was tasty but overly sweet and the amount of duck meat was miniscule.  And to a certain extent, a little too oily!

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe deep fried fish fillets topped with aromatic Thai herbs was another dish that is on my good books other than the Panang Pork curry.  The fillets were crisp, the herbs were tantalizing and more importantly, well executed.  But be vary, do not bite into the herbs at the top.  I did and I almost died there.

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe last dish was the basil stir-fried beef with chilis! It was again another dish that was rather typical but it was typically good.  For me, this dish is a comfort food used to top a rice bowl and finished with a fried egg.  This was no lesser of standard compared to S & T Thai Café on William Street which to me serves the best Pad Ka Prow.

 

At the end of the night, we were all filled.  It was a long dinner of 6 mains (some with no pictures) a few appetizers and drinks for the table.  For the quality of food that we were served, I felt satisfied.  The coupon for 6 of us costed something like 70 bucks which was extremely cheap.  Comparing that price to the menu, the meal should have cost more than $150.  I recently read comments on Urbanspoon mentioning that the city has a gap of somewhat the cheaper places like S & T Café which is more suited for a quick meal and the more expensive places like Dusit Thai.  True enough, places like Thailicious with a more upmarket setting fits nicely in the middle.  But how does this compare with the need?  After all, it is being really good or really bad that keeps you in people’s memories.  Being average is really nothing to shout about.   Fortunately though, its just the pricing that falls in between, not the quality.  Most of the dishes served to me was pretty good.  Even my picky sister would agree with the exception of the tom yam which she felt tasted like out of the bottle.

 

WenY

Thailicious on Urbanspoon

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Bites: Dragon Seafood @ Northbridge.

While its younger brother Dragon Palace on Francis Street is known for the posh and glitzy interior, its the older Dragon Seafood that still packs the punch many might have overlooked in search of ambience.  My lunch there earlier this week clearly proved that because if anything at all, Dragon Palace merely recreates the quality of dim sum seen at Dragon Seafood.
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The usual suspects included the Siew Mai which pack a burst of juicy pork and delicious prawns under the same skin.  As I have mentioned before, the Siew Mai at Dragon Palace is the best in my opinion and this clearly was not any lesser.

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These were deep fried crab cakes which were ok.  Typically, I find most Chinese Restaurant using crab flavored meat than the real deal itself.  This was no different.

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Bean curd rolls were one of the more moreish food that lunch.  I enjoyed it delicious filling of meat, vegetables and prawn.  The braising sauce used was flavorsome as expected.

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Sister’s favorite were the pot stickers which did not appeal on the outside but on the inside, it was all game on.  Super juicy pork meat with the perfect amount of green onions.  Perfect for dunking in the vinegar or enjoyed just by itself!

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These are one of my dim sum favorite but as I have always complained, the chicken feet in Perth are plagued with inconsistency revolving about the tenderness of the dish.  More often than not, the dish has not been given sufficient time in the steamer making it touch to chew.  Unfortunately, this is one of those times :(!
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Last but not the least were the egg tarts.  Not only is this a favorite of mine, but dad’s as well.  These were delicious except for the fact that they were serve cold which possibly indicates the lack of demand.

At the end, the food was no 10 out of 10 but neither was it a flop.  For me it is good as the benchmark of dim sum has been met.  But the usual complain is what really stands out to make a dim sum place outstanding.  For me, there isn’t a factor that makes this place perform better than other.  But if you hate the queue and can do with a less dainty setup, Dragon Seafood definitely meets that criteria.  Also, chili sauce and oil is a self service thing here with no extra charge, so if you are sick and tired of flagging one waiter after the other just for sauces, this might just be your cue!  Despite a rush lunch, I was satisfied with the food I had.

WenY
Dragon Seafood Chinese Restaurant on Urbanspoon